South Branch intelligencer. [volume] (Romney, Va. [W. Va.]) 1830-1896, 1887-06-03
SPRUCE GUM.
Gathering the Product ci
Sprue Trees in Maine.
A Brief Chapter Of Interesting Facts Con-
corning This Industry.

A Brief Chapter Of Interesting Facts Con-
corning This Industry.
A lump Of Gear, genuine spruce gum,
fresh and fragrant from its native forest,
is not TO be dcsp:scd as chew ing SUBJ
stance, and il everybody couli get the
real article, instead Of cheap, adulteratcd
stuff, the army of chcwcrs would be vast
" augmented. say, bad ford (dc. Jet
ter to the NV York Sur. The natural
gum is said by physicians to be bcncfi-
cial to the teeth, and it Is certainly a
great improvement on tobacco. The
woodsmcn bring out considerable guam
titles Of gum, som .tim,s packet in
pretty miniature barrels, which they
whittlc an carve from block, of white
pine or cedar during idle hours by the
camp fire, rs presents for their frien Is,
but there arc people who make a bust
ness of gathering gum, and in certain
sections of the spruce country it pays
we'll.
Most Of the spruce gum handled by
tho dealers comes from Canaia and
northern Maine, while Vermont and New
Hampshire contribute moder,t, guam
tity to the total yield. Tho best gum
comes from no particular section, but
always from the biggest spruce trees, and
it begins to run in July or August, when,
in these high latituics, the sun becomes
so hot rs to crack the bark. On the limbs,
in the c.o.chcs, anil even in the trunk
Of tho spruce, the molten gum forms
during the heat of summer in all sorts of
fantastic shapes, an when cold weather
sets in it becomes hard. The first year
after its run the gum is white and pitchy,
then it begins to turn amber and red,
and the second year it is fit to ''pick"
for the market, although it is better if
allowed to remain on c trees until the
third year. After the third season the
| gum remains in the same state for several
years, and then begins to "turn DID," as
the pickers say, and the consumer COM
| plains that it "chcws hard" and crum-
blcs up. A little more age makes it dark
co!orcd and bitter, and then its value is
! gone.
Up in Cinada much of the gum is
picked in the autumn, beginning as early
| as Octob, 7, but there, MS in Maine, the best
time for the work is during the deep
SHOWS OF the winter, when snowshoe s
arc used, or in the early spring, when a
man can travel along ut lively rate
on the heavy crust, above the under
brush. The p:ckcrs arc provided with
long poles, on the end of which is fas-
tened sharp chiscl, and underneath
that cup to receive the gum as it
is Clipped off. The cup holds from n
pint to quart, and when full it is emp
tied into long bag which the packer
carries slung to his back like u kna psack
These gum harves.crs erect hu,s in the
woods when far distant from a settle
mcnt or logging c,mp, and stay from
two days to wees on trip. When
they have secured all they can tote"
they come out, aad then tho women and
children have the tedious job of scraping
each and every lump free from bark and
moss. The clean, bright article offered
for sac in the shops looks very much
different from the brown nuggets in the
| p:ckcr's bag, although occasionally a
clear, shiny piece is found on the limb
of large tree.
1t is the Cleaning of the gum that
makes first-class article expensive. An
ordinary picker usually earns fair days
wages, although in localities that have
not been explored he sometimes "strikes
it rich" have known a man 10 gather
$50 worth of gum in one day.
There a:c two or three firms in Maine
which buy large quantities of gum from
lumb,rmen and pickerj for the purpose
OF refining it, as they say. But, rs a
general rule, the refining consists OF
adultcrating with rosin. They throw
the gum into a big vat, bark, moss and
all, and boil it II about the consistency
OF molasses, skimmng off the impurities
rs they rise TO the surface. Then, il the
| purpose be to adultcrdtc some lard or
| grease and lot OF rosin Is thrown in.
with sometimes a little sugar. The mix.
turc is stirred until thick, and then pour
cd out on slab, where, while it is yet
not, il is rolled out in n sheet about n
qu"rtcr of an inch thick, and afterward
cut with steel die into pieces half an
inch vile and three quarters OF an inch
long These pieces are wrapped in COL
@Ted tissue paper AMI packed in woode en-
boxcs-two hundred pieces to box.
This is the so-callcd patent gum.
| Tons Of IL arc sold south and west of us
lut here on tho vtrgc of The primevaI
forest i is drug 10 the mi rkct.
| NdcdTouf
| you give mo chalk for cheese ~ ia IN